


Love You Anymore

by sanchothevirgo



Category: The Rookie (TV 2018)
Genre: F/M, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Undercover
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-28
Updated: 2020-04-29
Packaged: 2021-03-02 05:34:51
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 10,124
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23899831
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sanchothevirgo/pseuds/sanchothevirgo
Summary: Officers Lucy Chen and Tim Bradford find themselves working undercover in a small, suburban town. As husband and wife, they have to find the leader of a dangerous drug ring, before it takes another life.Titled after the song by Michael Buble, by the same name.
Relationships: Tim Bradford/Lucy Chen
Comments: 10
Kudos: 85





	1. Chapter 1

Tim watched Lucy, as she walked up onto the stage, in this shitty, poorly lit bar. It was karaoke night, and the whole precinct was there. He found himself standing in the back, leaning against a wall... and the memories of the week before washed over him. 

**Just because I wander ‘round the places we would go**  
**Hoping that I’d run into you one last time**

Officers Lucy Chen and Tim Bradford were working undercover in a small, suburban town, just outside of Los Angeles. It wasn’t really their jurisdiction, but they were working with the feds, and a judge had signed off on it.  
Tim didn’t want to bring Chen. She was young and inexperienced, she’d never worked before. He would have felt better going undercover with Harper, or even Angela. But, no, he got stuck with Chen.

“Hold my hand,” Lucy demanded, as the two took a ‘leisurely stroll’ down the streets of the quiet town. Bradford rolled his eyes, but he complied. Of course he complied. He was good at his job, and the job called for a couple. A… fake couple. Someone to infiltrate a small, suburban town and take down the drug kingpin that the feds swore up and down just had to be in this neighborhood. The young officer found herself asking her T.O., “Why couldn’t the feds send some of their own in? Why did they need help from the lowly LAPD?”  
“Keep your voice down,” Tim demanded, before quietly replying, “Apparently, they have a mole. Eyes and ears inside. They need someone who wouldn’t be recognized.”  
“So, they asked us, a rookie on the bottom of the food chain, and the one man in the LAPD who looks like a stereotypical cop? Sure. Seems like the logical pair to send in.”  
“I don’t know, Boot! I just go where they tell me to go!” He said, in a loud but hushed tone.  
Lucy was quiet for a moment, before speaking up again, “... You can’t call me Boot anymore. I’m your wife!”  
She twisted the wedding band around her finger. He was wearing one, too, but he was pretty used to it. He had been married before, he used to wear a wedding ring everyday. And he knew that no one who wore their wedding ring everyday would mess with it so often, “Stop fiddling with that, Boot. You’re going to blow our cover.”

**Just because I never took your picture off my phone**  
**Doesn’t mean that you’re still on my mind**

“So, where did you two hail from?” The redheaded woman sitting across from them asked. This being a suburban town, the people here were pretty friendly. Everyone was bringing over pies and casseroles, inviting them over for tea and dinner. And being undercover meant they had to meet with every single person on their block, and figure out which of them was out there dealing drugs to kids.  
“Montana,” Tim and Lucy said, in perfect unison.  
“Wow, that’s a long way from California. Why’d you move here?”  
“Tim’s mom was sick,” Lucy said, in her best, and saddest voice, “We came down to take care of her, and even after she passed… we just couldn’t leave.”  
“But we also couldn’t deal with that Los Angeles traffic,” Tim said, giving a hearty chuckle, “We’re more ‘suburbs’ people.”  
“True, true,” Lucy nodded, scrunching her face up with a cute little smile, “What about you guys? How long have you lived here?”  
“California, born and raised,” The man said, smiling fondly over at his wife, “My family and Annie’s family have lived here long before either of us were born. Grew up across the street from each other.”  
“Fell in love from over a fence,” Annie nodded, leaning over and pressing her lips against her husband’s.  
“Awe,” Lucy said, in a genuine adored tone. She loved a good love story.  
“What about you guys? How did you meet?”  
“Oh… uh, Tim?” She looked over at her training officer, just waiting for him to have to say something cute and lovey. She had to be loving this.  
“Well,” Tim said, clearing his throat and trying to come up with something on the spot, “We met in college. She was a freshman, I was a couple years older… we, uh, were study partners. Although, I think I spent more time looking at her than I did the books. Asked her to marry me two weeks later. It was fast, but… I knew she was the one from the second I laid my eyes on her.”  
“Awe,” Lucy let out again, reaching over and taking Tim’s hand in hers, “He acts like such a meanie, but he is the biggest sweetheart.”

**Just because I accidentally slip and say your name**  
**When I hear our song, it makes me insecure**

“Oh, I love this song,” Officer Chen said, turning the dial on the radio, turning the music up louder, much louder than it needed to be.  
“Turn that down, Chen,” Bradford shouted from the kitchen, where he was scraping the remains of their dinners down the garbage disposal.  
“You know,” Lucy said, poking her head into the kitchen, “Now that we’re married, you’re legally obligated to dance with me. First dance, what do you say?”  
“I say, I’m doing the dishes,” He said, rolling his eyes. He found himself doing that a lot around Lucy. She could be so annoying.  
“Come on, Mr. Tough and Grumpy,” Lucy said, teasingly, “Dance with me.”  
And he couldn’t fight the smile that was tugging on the corner of his lips, he grabbed the dish towel off his shoulder and swung it at her, hitting her in the side with it.  
“Dance with me!”  
“You are such a pest, Chen!”  
“Dance with me, dance with me, dance with me! You never gave me our first dance! Come one!” She begged, stepping closer to him and taking the dish towel, throwing it back onto the counter, “Dance with me, Officer Bradford.”  
“Just-- one dance. And then you help me do the dishes!”  
“One dance,” Lucy agreed, holding her hand out for him to take. 

Rolling his eyes, for the third time that day, Tim reached out and took Lucy’s hand in his. He tugged on her arm, pulling her body closer to his. The smile on her face, warm enough to power a small city.  
Lucy hung her arms loosely over Tim’s shoulders, as his arms snaked around her waist, pulling her closer to him. And in that moment, her eyes never left his. He felt trapped in this moment, trapped in her eyes. How had he never realized how beautiful her eyes were? He felt like he could get lost in them… lost in her.

Despite what he had insisted, the two officers stood there, swaying back and forth, for more than just one song. In fact, Tim wasn’t actually sure how long they had stayed like that, or how many songs had passed. He was entranced. And if anyone looked in through their kitchen window, there would be no doubt in their mind that Tim and Lucy were just a married couple, truly and deeply in love.

**Just because I know I’ll never ever feel the same**  
**Doesn’t mean I love you anymore**

That night, Lucy woke Tim up around two in the morning, her voice hushed and worried, “Tim! Tim, wake up!”  
“What? What is it, Chen?” He asked, jumping off of the couch, where he was sleeping. He might have been a bit of an asshole, but he was still a gentleman, he let Lucy take the bed.  
“I think there’s someone out there,” She said, quietly, a gun in each hand. She carefully handed one of the guns to her T.O., who jumped quickly to his feet.  
“You check the front, I’ll go around back,” He instructed, heading around to the back of the big house.  
He opened the door, quietly as he could, and peaked outside, first just his gun and his head, followed quickly by the rest of him. He did a quick but thorough sweep of the backyard, before slowly making his way towards the front.

When he reached the corner where the front of the house met the side, he was almost assaulted by his partner, “Ah! Jesus, Chen!”  
He groaned, almost having a heart attack. And it was just then that he spotted something over her shoulder-- someone. He quickly grabbed her arm and pulled her against the side wall of the house, “... Turn around, slowly… ten o’clock.”  
Lucy did as she was told, and turned around to see two teenagers lurking across the street, “... Give me your phone.”  
Tim fished his phone out of his sweatpants and handed it to his rookie, watching through the phone as she snapped a handful of photos of the kids exchanging money and, what Bradford assumed was drugs.  
“Should we arrest them?” Lucy asked, quietly.  
“No, no… it would alert the boss of our presence… we let them go. Send these pictures back to HQ, and wait for orders… Come on. Let’s go back inside,” He said, quietly leading her back through the backdoor. It wasn’t until they were back in the safety of their dining room that Bradford realized what Lucy was wearing. A tank top, shorts, and a short and loose fitting robe. No wonder she didn’t have her phone on her, she was barely wearing anything! He watched her set her phone down on the table, and said, “I guess no one was lurking around the house… sorry, it’s just being outside of the city, every sound creeps me out.”  
“It was probably the wind,” Tim nodded, “But don’t be sorry. You got us a lead. I’ll send these pictures back and get an ID on them.”  
“... Okay,” She nodded, “Sounds good. I’m gonna… go back to bed. Hey, are you sure you’re okay sleeping on the couch? The bed is big enough for the both of us.”  
“No, really, I’m good. It’s more comfortable than it looks,” He assured her.  
“Okay… if you change your mind…” She said, before slinking up the stairs, back to the bedroom, “Night, Tim.”  
“... Goodnight, Lucy.”

**Am I lying to myself again**  
**When I say you’re not the best I’ve ever had?**

By their third day working undercover, Lucy and Tim had their fake marriage down to a science. Tim would make breakfast, and Lucy would go get the newspaper from the driveway-- yes, this was the suburbs, they got their newspapers delivered like cavemen. At least, that’s what Lucy had told him.  
Then the two of them would go for a morning walk, hand in hand, doing some surveillance of the neighborhood.  
“Morning, Robert. Morning, Todd,” Lucy said, giving a neighborly smile as she and Tim walked past a couple, who were doing some gardening, “Hey, Judy, how are the kids?”  
“You’re too polite,” Tim said, leaning over to whisper in her ear.  
“It’s called manners.”  
“It’s weird, is what is,” He said, a small chuckle escaping his lips.  
“Maybe you should try it some time.”  
“Hey, I’m polite!” Bradford insisted, earning a hearty laugh from his undercover wife.  
“Yea, and I’m the queen of England.”  
“Ju-- shut up,” Tim rammed his shoulder into her, playfully.

After their walk, Tim would disappear for ‘work’, which meant going to meet with their handler, and exchange intel, leaving Lucy alone for a couple hours to get together with the other neighborhood ladies, and eventually hide alone in the house, pretending to be unpacking, when in reality, she would just be watching crappy TV, and video calling Jackson back home.  
When it was later, Tim would come back home, and Lucy would make him dinner-- usually something from a box that was full of so much crap, he was sure it would kill them. He made sure to tell her that, too.  
And they would usually do the dishes together-- today, she washed, he dried. It was obvious that they were growing closer, as co-workers and… maybe even as friends.  
“Don’t forget we have that dinner with Annie and Jeff tomorrow. I’m also gonna do some recon over at the Tomas house around lunch, if you can get back in time from your meeting. Oh, and that woman from the corner-- Alexis-- did want to talk to us about fertility treatment-- I told her we weren’t ready for kids, but she doesn’t seem to know what that means.”  
“Got it. Lunch, dinner, fertility treatment,” Tim nodded, “And I’m going drinking with the guys tonight, and don’t forget the barbeque on Friday.”  
“Barbeque, Friday,” Lucy nodded, “I’ll put it on the Calender. … Hey, we really got this marriage thing down.”  
“We’re officially the best at marriage,” Tim agreed, with a little laugh, “I guess you really can benefit from having the right partner.”

**Am I lying to myself?**  
**When I say that I’m not missing you so bad?**

By Friday, when the barbeque rolled around, Tim and Lucy were ready for anything. They were sure the leader of the drug kingpin would be showing himself today. They had firm intel that whoever it was would be here. They just had to figure out who, before things got out of hand.  
The two of them walked up to the house across the street-- Lucy had on a pink sundress with high heels to go with, and Tim honestly looked like a golf dad. He had one arm wrapped around her waist, as they came up to the Bradley house for the welcome barbeque that was being throwin for them.  
“Bobby,” Lucy greeted, leaning over and kissing the man on the cheek, “Thank you for having us.”  
“Are you kidding? Nothing makes Todd and I happier than a reason to throw a party. Especially a party with alcohol, and the kids inside.”  
Tim chuckled, “I don’t know how you guys do it. Juggling work, and the kids, and somehow you still manage to throw the new people a welcome party?”  
“You guys are honestly… amazing,” Lucy agreed.  
“You know what they say, if you love what you do, you never work a day in your life. I love my job, I love my husband, I love my kid, and I love a good party,” Robert chuckled.  
“Amen,” She nodded.  
“I’m gonna go make my rounds,” Tim said, leaning down and kissing Chen’s forehead, “Come find me when you’re done?”  
“Uh huh,” She nodded, before turning back to Robert, who was manning the grill, “You know, Tim and I have been talking. Thinking about starting a family. And I just, I really want to, but with all the chaos in the world today? It makes me so nervous. You know, I think I saw some kids with cocaine the other night!”  
“We have a pandemic on our hands, Lucy,” He agreed, as he started flipping some burgers over, “It’s a quiet neighborhood, but even here, there’s more drugs than you know. That’s why we tell our boys-- we say, don’t do drugs. But they’re getting to that age, where they’re going to want to start trying things out. It scares me so much, but you just have to trust them.”  
“... Do you know where they’re coming from? The drugs?”  
“Probably that big city-- LA. Everyone there is on drugs. And it’s so close…”

Meanwhile, across the yard, Tim found him talking to the Tomases, having an almost identical conversation, “Oh, yea, Lucy and I want kids... Eventually. How old is Elsa now? Three?”  
“Next month,” Judy nodded, “They grow up so fast.”  
“That’s what I hear,” Tim said, “I just-- how do you do it? I would be so worried all the time. Especially these days-- crime rates are up and--”  
Tim was cut off by a loud, blood curdling scream from inside. He looked across the yard at his rookie, locking eyes with her. Everyone went running inside, Lucy rushing to Tim and grabbing his hand as they went.  
After the initial scream, they heard kids crying, and nothing else. As they reached the source of the scream-- the laundry room-- they found Alexis, from the fertility clinic, dead on the floor. By time they got there, Jeff had already begun CPR. Neither Lucy nor Tim jumped in, they didn’t want to ruin their cover.  
“Oh, my God,” Lucy covered her mouth with one hand, “Somebody call 9-1-1!” 

**Just because I’m on my knees and swearing I will change**  
**And I’d do anything to hear you say I’m yours**

It was a long night. Everyone got questioned by the police-- including Tim and Lucy, who were unable to tell the small town cops about their cover. Jeff had been able to revive the fertility doctor, and the ambulance had taken her to the hospital. Slowly, the crowd dispersed from Robert and Todd’s house, the mood for the night officially somber.  
Tim and Lucy, eventually, began the walk across the street to their house, him holding her heels in one hand, his other arm wrapped around her waist again.  
“We failed, Tim,” Lucy said, as they got further from the venue of the party, “Someone overdosed, and we were just outside… he had to be there! The leader, he had to be there!”  
“... When I talk to HQ tomorrow, I’ll try and get them to talk to the local PD, maybe they can get something out of Alexis. It’s a long shot, but… maybe they’ll find out something we don’t already know.”  
“I just can’t believe we didn’t find him,” Lucy said, leaning her head onto Tim’s shoulder as they walked into their house, “We’ve never been closer to having him, and somehow we’ve never been farther, either. He was there.”  
“I know,” He said, quietly, leading her over to the couch, “We just have to think about this with fresh eyes. We need to think about their jobs, their income, their families. We’ll find him, Chen.”  
Lucy flopped down on the couch, and Tim wasn’t far behind her.  
“Talk to me, Chen… what are you thinking?”  
“I’m thinking… how can we draw him out? This guy, this drug dealer? How can we do this before any more people get hurt?”  
“I mean, we could get a serious drug addiction,” Tim joked, but Lucy didn’t as much as crack a smile, “Come on, Chen. I know it’s been a tough night… but we’ll get him. We’re close. I can feel it. He’s gonna slip up, and we’re going to catch him.”  
The two of them stayed up all night, trying to find something that could lead them to the leader. And eventually, the two police officers fell asleep on the couch-- Lucy leaning against the arm of the couch, and Bradford with his head in her lap. 

**Just because I know I’ll never, ever feel the same**  
**Doesn’t mean I love you anymore**

The next morning was better, the neighborhood received word that Alexis had her stomach pumped and she had survived the night. The local police were questioning her now, but as for Tim and Lucy… well, they were spending the day at home.  
Tim walked into the bathroom, hoping for a shower before they had to go deal with the repercussions of the night before.  
When he went to the bathroom door, he was greeted by Chen, wrapped in a bath towel, brushing her teeth over the sink.  
“Oh! I’m so sorry!” Bradford said, turning around.  
“It’s fine,” She leaned over and spit into the sink, “I’m almost done. … Tim, you can turn around, we’re not in middle school.”  
“... Right. Sorry,” He said again, awkwardly, causing Lucy to laugh and walk past him and into the bedroom.  
“Idiot,” She said over her shoulder.

Within the hour, the pretend couple was going about their morning routine-- taking their walk, doing a bit of surveillance. The whole street seemed to be on edge today, which was to be expected, since they almost had a death last night. Tim had one arm wrapped around Lucy’s shoulder, and she had her fingers interlaced with his as they walked.  
They stopped to talk with a couple of their neighbors, everyone just distraught about the whole thing.  
“Annie,” Lucy gave the woman a sympathetic look as they approached her and Jeff’s house, “How are you doing? How are the kids?”  
“Honestly, just… just horrible,” The redhead said, looking so sad, “You know, Alexis helped Jeff and I when we were having problems getting pregnant? She was just such a good friend. It’s all so horrible. I can’t believe she was doing drugs.”  
“It’s always the people we least expect,” Tim said, reaching out and squeezing her hand, “You never think it’ll happen somewhere like this.”  
“I know,” She nodded, “I’m just so thankful my husband took those CPR classes after Jakey was born. He saved her… even if she was wasting her life away, on those god forsaken drugs.”  
“Well, I’m glad she’s okay,” Lucy agreed with a nod, before she and Tim continued on their way.

**Am I lying to myself**  
**When I say you’re not the best I’ve ever had?**

That night, Lucy and Tim had dinner with Robert and Todd again, their way of trying to make up for the party going so, so wrong.  
“How are you doing, Lucy?” Todd asked, taking her hand from over the table.  
“I think we’re okay,” She nodded. She was distracting the other couple, while Tim snooped through their bathroom and probably various other parts of their house. This was the second time they had snooped through this house, and probably the twentieth time they’d snooped through a house, this week alone. Tim could hear them talking, as he rummaged through the bathroom garbage.  
“It’s just so sad. You know, I heard about an overdose across town just last week. I just can’t believe it,” Todd went on, “When you think about junkies, you just think meth heads, roaming the street. You don’t think of the woman who helped you adopt a child as a drug addict.”  
“I know what you mean,” Tim heard Lucy say, moving from the trash and to the cabinets, “I only knew her for a few days, but she just seemed like the sweetest lady--”  
“Lucy, my love,” Tim called, poking his head out of the bathroom.  
“Oh. Just a second, gentlemen,” Lucy said, excusing herself from the table, “The hubby calls.”  
“Don’t break our sink,” Robert teased, as Lucy went to go find Tim.  
“What’d you find?” She asked, closing the bathroom door behind them.  
Tim pulled a bottle out of the cabinet and handed it to his rookie, “You know what that is, Boot?”  
“... ADD meds? Uh, people use them to help them focus--” She said, quietly, “Uh, set the bottle down. I’ll dust it for prints.”  
She took her makeup and a roll of tape from her purse, quickly taking the prints from the bottle and putting it in an evidence bag that she had stored away in her purse.  
“You know, if this has what we think it has--” Bradford said, looking down at Chen, “We could know by tomorrow. Make an arrest. Go home.”  
“Can’t wait for that divorce, huh?” Chen asked, with a little laugh, “You just make sure this gets back to HQ tomorrow. But there’s no reason to think it’ll have the leader’s prints on it. It could just be a dead end.”

**Am I lying to myself again?**  
**When I say that I’m not missing you so bad?**

By midnight, the two were waltzing back into their temporary home, hand in hand. It was kind of exciting to think that this time tomorrow, he could be home. Sleeping in his own bed. But at the same time, there was a sadness to it. As soon as this mission was over, Chen would go back to being his rookie, and he would go back to being her T.O. There was a certain amount of professionalism you could forgo, when you’re undercover. But when they get back to the office, they would have to go back to being professional. They couldn’t keep being friends. It just wasn’t how things worked. 

“Hey, Tim,” Lucy’s voice dragged him out of his thoughts, as she turned the radio back on, “Last day of marriage. Dance with me.”  
This time, he didn’t argue with her. After a week of being married to her, he knew better than to argue with her. He wrapped his arms around her waist, and he pulled her close again… maybe even closer than he did last time.  
“... Can I confess something?” Lucy asked, quietly, after a minute, her head against his shoulder. Tim didn’t answer, he didn’t have to. She kept talking, “I’m sad… that our mission is almost over. I don’t know if I want to go home. I feel like… I could make a life here.”  
He knew what she meant. He felt the same way, like this was a vacation. Like, if they didn’t leave this small town, they were safe. Inside of a bubble, where time stood still, where they could dance.  
“Me, too…” He said, softly. He swallowed, audibly. He could feel strings tugging at his heart, tugging him towards Chen.  
After a couple moments of silence, she looked up at him, with those big, beautiful eyes of hers. And he realized just how close they were. He could feel her body, pressed against his. Her eyelashes on his cheek. Her lips… against his lips. 

Wait. Her lips were against his lips. He could taste her, she tasted like red wine, like he could get drunk on the taste of her alone. … But he couldn’t. He was her training officer. He was her boss.  
So, he stepped back, “... Lucy, I--”  
“No,” She backed away from him, several steps away, her eyes filling with tears, “No, I-- I’m drunk, I think. I… sorry. I know. I’ll just--”  
She didn’t finish the thought, she took off running up the stairs. And he felt like an idiot. How did he let this happen?  
“Lucy!” He shouted, running up the stairs after her, but she locked herself in the bedroom, “... Lucy, please… open the door…”

**Just because I’m on my knees and swearing I will change**  
**And do anything to hear you say I’m yours**

Tim felt like he had spent the whole night, sitting outside of the bedroom, begging her to open the door and talk to him. But she didn’t. And she didn’t come down for breakfast, and she didn’t go get the newspaper, and she didn’t join him on his morning walk. After a couple hours, he had to go meet with the feds, and give them what he and Lucy had found. And by time he did, he still hadn’t seen her.  
She didn’t come out of her room until after he had gone. She felt like an idiot. How could she kiss her training officer!? Now, as soon as this mission was over, he was going to pawn her off on someone else. Trade her for West, or Nolan. Or worse, he would leave and take a different job. A job far from the mistake that was Lucy Chen. 

By time Tim was back from his meeting, he still couldn’t find Lucy. The bedroom door was open, but she was gone. He had to find her. He went to see Robert and Tood, he went to the Tomases, he even stopped by the hospital to see if she had gone to see Alexis, but she hadn’t.  
And that was when he got the call. From the Feds. They had traced the print back to a teenager, and got a warrant for the kid’s arrest. They put some pressure on him, and he cracked. He gave them the name of his supplier. The boss. The top of the drug food chain.  
“... Lucy,” He said, quietly, his phone dropping to the ground. And he ran. He ran back to their street, past their house, and towards the last place where she could be.  
“Lucy!” He shouted, inviting himself into the house, and grabbing his partner off of the couch.  
“Tim,” She made a face of confusion, “What are you doing here?”  
He leaned down, and pressed his lips against her ear, and he whispered. Two words. 

“It’s Annie.”

And just then, Annie walked into the room, holding a tray of ice tea, “Oh, Tim! I’m so glad you could join us!”  
“... We can’t stay long,” He said, “We have to go.”  
“... Oh,” Annie set the tray down on the coffee table, “I know what this is about. I’m honestly surprised you two didn’t figure it out sooner. You spent so much time trying to convince us all that you’re a real couple, that you didn’t notice the person you were looking for was right in front of you this whole time.”

“Annie?” Jeff seid, as he walked into the room, “What’s going on?”  
“I’m so sorry, my love,” Annie leaned down and pulled a gun out from behind a couch cushion, “But Officers Chen and Bradford have figured out who’s been supplying drugs to our quiet, little town. And now I am going to have to kill them.”  
“Annie? What are you talking about?” He asked, his eyes full of confusion.  
“Just go upstairs. Get Jakey. Pack a bag. And get in the car. I’ll be there in two ticks,” She promised, giving Jeff a loving smile.

Tim pulled Lucy behind him, as Annie cocked her gun, and pointed it at them, before pulling the trigger.  
“Annie, WAIT!” Jeff shouted, knocking her aside, throwing the bullet off it’s intended trajectory.  
And before the redhead could get back up, the two couples could hear the sound of sirens, approaching their neighborhood.  
“You can shoot two cops, and add cop killer to your sentence, or you can run, and hope you get away,” Tim said, carefully, knowing that the cops would catch her if she ran.  
“... Damn it!” She shouted, “Jeff. I’ll come back for you and Jakey. Wait for me.”  
And with that, she took off running. 

**Just because I know I’ll never, ever feel the same**  
**Doesn’t mean I love you anymore, more**

And suddenly, Tim was back in that dim lit, crappy little bar, surrounded by his co-workers, looking up at Chen as she sang this heart breaking song. And he knew that it was directed at him. Directed at his idiocy. He didn’t kiss her back. 

… He should have kissed her back. 

**Doesn’t mean I love you anymore**  
**Doesn't mean I love you anymore**


	2. Distance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Feds approach Chen and Bradford about another job. Lucy spends the day trying to convince Tim to take it. 
> 
> Chapter titled from the song by the same name by Jason Mraz and Miss Christina Perri.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, you guys. I know, every day, I said 'this is the day chapter 2 will be up' and it kept not being the day chapter 2 would be posted. I had a lot of trouble trying to find enough plot to take up a whole chapter. But... at last... here she is. Chapter 2 is up!!

It had been a couple days since the undercover mission had ended, both Lucy and Tim had been forced to take some time off-- it was supposed to be for their benefit, but Tim never felt more anxious than he did when he wasn’t working.  
After a week undercover, and three days vacation, he was finally, finally back at work.  
It wasn’t until he stepped out of his car, and looked up at the police station that he felt really, truly back home. He was ready to get back to work. However, before he could go inside, his eyes landed on his rookie, getting out of her car with her roommate, Jackson, just across the parking lot. 

“Boot,” He called over to her, before taking off into a jog in her direction.  
As he neared her car, he could hear West say a quick, “Vacation really is over now, huh?” before taking off into the station, giving the two some privacy.  
“Chen… I think we should talk,” Tim said. This was the first time he had seen her since that night at the karaoke bar. The first time he had her alone since they came out from their cover. It had been driving him up the wall that he couldn’t talk to her about their last night undercover. He needed to let her know why he did what he did… or didn’t do.  
Lucy refused to make eye contact with him, and she started walking towards the building, “What about?”  
“What abo-- the mission,” Tim said, rolling his eyes, “The kiss.”  
“What kiss?” She asked, “There was no kiss.”  
Tim sighed, “Lucy--”  
“It’s Officer Chen, actually,” She said, finally turning to face him, “Or rookie, or Boot. It’s not Lucy. Don’t let your feelings cloud your professionalism, Bradford.”  
And before he could respond, she took off into the locker room to change and get ready for the day. He didn’t follow her. She clearly wasn’t ready to talk about it. But she couldn’t avoid it forever. Especially when they worked together in such close proximity all day. She had to talk about it at some point.

**Sun is filling up the room**  
**And I can hear you dreaming**

Within the hour, all of the uniformed officers were entering their daily meeting with Sergeant Wade Grey, to get briefed on their assignments for the day. Business as usual.  
However, when Bradford and Chen walked into the room, their fellow officers erupted into a round of applause.  
With an awkward glance over at Lucy, Tim could see she was blushing. No cop enjoyed being clapped at for doing the one thing they were supposed to do.They made a big arrest-- it was no big deal. It was literally in their job description.  
“Seriously, guys?” Tim asked, rolling his eyes in annoyance, before moving to take his seat between Nyla and Angela at the Training Officer table.  
“Come on, Bradford,” Angela teased, “You know if you make a big drug bust, you’re going to get clapped for.”  
“How was the divorce? Who’s keeping the dog?” Nyla asked, joining in the other woman’s joking.  
“...I work with children,” Tim rolled his eyes, before turning his focus to Grey and one of the Feds, who were standing at the front of the group of police officers. 

“As we all know, Officer Chen and Officer Bradford, single handedly, took down a big drug ring just outside of LA,” Grey said, addressing his officers, “Risked their lives in the process. We couldn’t be prouder of them. … Agent Keane?”  
The FBI agent took a step forward, demanding the attention of the station, “Officers Chen and Bradford did an excellent job, helping us take down Annie Jacobs. My higher ups have instructed me to offer you two a job.”  
Lucy made a face, “You want us to be feds?”  
“Uh… well, not exactly. You would still work for the Los Angeles Police Department-- you would just be on loan out to the Bureau whenever a case comes around that might need an undercover couple.”  
Tim couldn’t just sit by and listen to this nonsense, “Are you kidding me? Chen is a rookie. She hasn’t even graduated yet. Her training isn’t over.”  
“Well, what better way to finish her training than with some real world experience, Officer Bradford?” Agent Keane asked.  
“Are you serious?” Lucy asked, turning to look at the command sergeant, “And you’re okay with this?”  
“You two did good work out there. Annie Jacobs behind bars-- it speaks for itself. If this is what you want to do-- it’s up to you two,” Grey responded.

“... Can we have the day?” Lucy asked, knowing full well that it was going to take some convincing to get Tim to agree to this, “To think about it?”  
“Go ahead,” Keane nodded, “Twenty-four hours. Then we’re moving on.”  
Chen nodded, that was more than fair. So… she had twenty-four hours to convince her TO to go undercover with her, once more. 

**Do you feel the way I do**  
**Right now?**

It wasn’t long before Tim and Lucy were crammed back into their rightful place inside of their shop, canvassing neighborhoods for anything suspicious, waiting for a call to come in through the radio.  
There was an uncomfortable sort of silence in the air, as they both had something on their mind that they knew the other person wouldn’t want to talk about.  
Lucy gathered up all of the courage she had inside of her, before speaking up, “... Let’s make a deal to just… hear each other out. With open minds. It doesn’t have to be an argument. Just… two people trying to figure out some things.”  
“Alright,” Tim nodded, “But me first, because I need you to talk to me about what happened, and I know if I let you go first, you’re going to keep pretending it didn’t happen.”  
“... Okay,” Lucy nodded. That sounded fair.

“... You kissed me,” Tim said.  
“... Yup.”  
“Why?”  
“I… got caught up in the cover,” She said, “I was a little drunk, and you were a little… kind. I think I just misread the situation. I’m not in love with you. I’m not angry at you for rejecting me. You were right to. I think I was mostly just… embarrassed.”  
“I need you to know, Chen, I didn’t stop you because I don’t think you’re attractive-- you are a beautiful, intelligent, strong woman.I could only be so lucky to find someone like you. Just…”  
“... Not me,” Lucy said, finishing his sentence.  
Tim nodded, “Your career is my top priority. I can’t let you throw it all away for some meaningless fling.”  
“No, yea, you’re right,” Lucy nodded, “Won’t happen again. … My turn?”

“Go ahead,” Tim nodded, satisfied with the way that conversation went.  
“... I really want to go undercover again,” Lucy all but begged, “I had a lot of fun and… I think we’re good at it.”  
“We definitely are good at it,” Bradford agreed, “But you are still my rookie. It’s my job to keep you safe until you graduate.”  
“And you will keep me safe,” She insisted, “I’m always safe, as long as you’re with me. I’m not scared when I’m with you. And we’ll go undercover as a couple-- always. So, we’ll never be far apart. I think we can do this, Tim.”

Before her TO could give a response to that, a call came in over the radio, “7-Adam-19, robbery in progress…”

**I wish we would just give up**  
**Cause the best part is falling**

“Crime scene,” Lucy said in a sing-songy voice, as the pair of them sat in their shop, across the street from a small diner, first on the scene. “What’s the plan?”  
“We don’t want to turn this into a hostage situation,” Tim said, looking in through the window to see a man pointing a gun at the cashier, “Put your badge and gun in the car. Take off your uniform-- I have a sweater in the trunk. Put it on.”  
“Tim Bradford, are you asking me to go undercover with you?” Lucy asked with a smug look on her face.  
“... Don’t mock me, Boot,” Tim said, pulling off the shirt of his uniform and tossing it into the trunk, Lucy doing the same.  
“Who are we? Tim and Lucy Bradford? Adorable couple from small, suburban town?”  
“Considering those are our only characters… yes,” Tim tucked his spare gun into his pant leg, before reaching his hand out to Lucy, “Mrs. Bradford?”  
“Oh, why, thank you, Mr. Bradford,” Lucy grinned, taking his hand in hers, “Let’s do this.”

Hand in hand, the cops headed into the small mom and pop diner. As soon as the door opened, they began assessing the situation.  
Single gunman at the counter, forcing a young woman to put all of the money into a backpack. There was a man in a corner booth on their right, with two young daughters. On the opposite side of the diner, there was a small group of waitresses and high school students huddled together-- one boy with a cut on his forehead-- presumably, the one who alerted the authorities.  
A bell chimed over the door, as Tim and Lucy walked in.  
The gunman quickly turned around, taking the gun off of the cashier and onto them.  
Lucy went, immediately, into wife mode, “Oh, my God! Tim, a gun!”  
Tim pulled Lucy behind him, quickly-- a good husband move, “Don’t shoot!”  
“Get over there!” The gunman shouted, pointing the gun over to where the waitresses and teenagers were huddled.  
“Look, just don’t hurt my wife, man,” Tim said, carefully walking backwards towards the group, trying to pull Lucy along behind him.  
“You,” The gunman motioned to Lucy, “Lock the door.”  
“Wait--” Tim protested, which earned him a gun to his face.  
“I said do it!” He shouted, angrily.  
“I’ll just-- Tim, I’ll just lock the door,” Lucy said, coming out from behind him, with her hands up, and slowly walking over to the door.  
“Don’t talk to my wife that way!” Tim shouted-- either a really clever or, perhaps, really stupid distraction.  
“I have the gun! I can talk to anyone however I want! Now, shut up and give me your wallet!”  
“Well, if you insist,” Bradford said, pulling his wallet out of his pocket and chucking it at the gunman’s head.  
“What are you doing!?” One teenage girl asked.  
“Causing a distraction so my beautiful wife can hit him over the head with a barstool,” Tim explained, loud enough for the gunman to hear. And surely enough, Lucy-- behind the gunman-- picked up a barstool and bashed it over his head. The man fell like a ton of bricks.  
“Beautifully done, Mrs. Bradford,” Tim said, a proud smile on his lips.  
“Why, thank you, Mr. Bradford.” 

**Call it anything but love**  
**And I make sure to keep my distance**

The people at the diner had been so grateful for Tim and Lucy saving their whole lives, that they sent them off with a container of mashed potatoes. It was strange, but Lucy did love mashed potatoes.  
“...You’re an animal, Boot,” Tim said, grimacing as he drove. Whenever he looked over at Lucy, he could see her eating mashed potatoes, in the car, with her fingers.  
“They didn’t give me a spoon,” Lucy said, for at least the third time since they’d left the diner.  
“And you can’t wait until we get somewhere with a spoon!?”  
“It’s too good,” Lucy said, scooping some mashed potatoes up onto her finger and shoving it into her TO’s mouth.  
“Jesus-- Chen!” Bradford shouted, mouth full of mashed potato.  
“... It’s good, right?” She asked.  
“You’re a disgrace to the LAPD,” He said, swallowing the bit of food in his mouth.  
“But it’s good, huh?” Lucy asked, and she took his silence for a yes, “...We are really good together. Undercover. We might be better at husband and wife Tim and Lucy than we are at TO and rookie Tim and Lucy.”  
“Neither of us have any undercover training, Boot.”  
“But we have experience!”  
“We have one week of experience. In a suburban town. What happens when we get put somewhere more dangerous? Like inside of a gang?”  
“Then we deal with it. We are so good, Tim! I think we can do this. I think we could be really good at it.”  
“What about the exam? It’s less than a month away. If you miss that test, you end up being a rookie again. Then the Feds won’t want you.”  
“So, I don’t miss it! You keep training me. We make flash cards. I study like hell. … We can do this. And after I pass the exam, we can continue doing this! This is the kind of thing that could make our careers, Bradford.  
“Or the kind that could break yours!”  
“You won’t let that happen,” Chen said, scooping up some mashed potatoes on one finger and slipping it into her mouth. 

**Say I love you when you’re not listening**  
**And how long can we keep this up, up, up?**

“Are you guys gonna do it?” Officer Angela Lopez asked Tim, as the two of then and Officer Nyla Harper sat down for lunch at their usual spot.  
“Do what?” Tim asked, taking a sip from his soda.  
“Go undercover again,” Nyla said, “I loved working undercover. Only stopped to be closer to my family. Neither of you are married, no kids. It could be a great opportunity for you guys. Especially Chen. Being tapped by the Feds before she even graduates-- she’ll be in high demand.”  
“If she graduates,” Bradford said.  
“Please,” Angela rolled her eyes, “Tim Bradford’s rookies don’t fail. She’s going to pass. And you won’t be able to stop her from working with them once that happens.”  
“Might as well do it with her,” Nyla agreed, “Besides. You have people to impress, after you foolishly shot down that Sergeant gig.”  
“Would you guys do it,” Tim asked, ignoring that last thing Nyla said, “If it was your rookies?”  
“Hell no,” Nyla shook her head, “I’ve got a kid to think about. And Nolan is old as hell-- he’d probably drop dead mid-mission.”  
Angela laughed, popping a nacho into her mouth, “Man, I would do anything if it put me on the fast track to detective. I would love to get tapped by the Feds. Get any job I want.”  
“You guys think we should take it?” Bradford asked.  
“I did it,” Nyla said, “I loved it. And I was undercover as a junkie. I would love to go under again, as part of a couple. But I won’t. For my kid. You should do it.”  
“You should do it,” Angela nodded.

Tim knew they were right. This could do wonders for Lucy’s career. His, too. But he didn’t care about climbing up the latter as much as he cared about protecting Lucy. And he couldn’t protect her if he was constantly putting her in danger-- work even the Feds didn’t want to do, if they were bringing in uniformed officers. 

**Please don’t stand so close to me**  
**I’m having trouble breathing**

“Is Bradford going to let you do it?” John Nolan asked, a couple tables away from the training officers, sitting with Lucy and Jackson West.  
“I’m not sure,” Lucy admitted, “It could go either way. I’m hopeful, though.”  
“Did you like it undercover?” West asked.  
“Yea,” Lucy nodded, putting her straw to her lips, “It was fun, playing pretend. Bradford might be an ass training officer, but he’s a great husband.”  
“Doesn’t hurt that he has a great ass, either,” West said, with a little smirk.  
“Oh, gross,” Lucy made a face, “That’s my TO, Jackson! You can’t talk about his ass!”  
“Hey. I’m a happily taken man,” He said, “But Bradford could get it.”  
“No, he could not. Ew.”  
Nolan spoke up again, changing the subject from whether or not Bradford could get it, “How are you going to get him to agree to go under with you again?”  
“I’m not sure,” Lucy admitted, “I’ll figure something out. There’s only one more month until graduation. If I could get another undercover mission before then--”  
“You’ll have a job with the Feds, no problem,” West nodded, “I can’t believe they’re letting a rookie do undercover work. That’s the dream.”  
“And if Tim doesn’t let you, you could always try again after you graduate. Go out on your own,” Nolan said.  
“I guess,” Chen nodded, “But that’s so much scarier, isn’t it? Working alone?”  
As much as Lucy wanted to keep working undercover missions, she didn’t want to do it without him. They worked so well together. And honestly… if she couldn’t convince him to do this with her, then she only had a month left with him. And she didn’t want to be a cop without him. She wanted to be his partner… she had to convince him to continue undercover work. 

**I’m afraid of what you’ll see**  
**Right now**

Tim and Lucy were quickly pulled away from their lunch when a call came in through the radio-- a bar fight.  
“Can you really go back to breaking up bar fights after what we did?” Lucy asked as they drove, “We-- just the two of us-- took down a drug ring.”  
“A drug ring in the suburbs. Don’t get it mixed. We weren’t tangling with dangerous criminals,” Bradford rolled his eyes.  
“But there was no detective. Just us. We did it. We are good at undercover, Tim! Think about how much good we could do! We could do more than just break up bar fights. We could have part in taking guns and drugs off the streets! We could save people before they’re ever in danger!”  
“There are people to do that, Chen, we have jobs. Our jobs are to be the ones to break up bar brawls, so that people who are supposed to keep drugs and guns off the street can do their jobs.”  
“Or we could do both! Tim, just think about it! Unis by day, Feds by night!”  
“You are… insufferable,” Bradford decided, as he parked the shop outside of the bar, and got out of the car.  
“You’re just upset because you know I’m right. We could do so much good-- more good than we’re doing now!”  
“We’re doing loads of good, Boot,” He said, holding the bar door open for Lucy, “One brawl at a time.”

As the officers walked into the bar, they weren’t very surprised at the sight. Drunks passed out at the bar, the bartender wielding a bat, and about ten men sporting fun, new injuries. It seemed like things had settled down from when the call had been made, but the two groups of men were still glaring at one another.  
“... You called for an assist?” Tim asked, looking over at the woman tending bar.  
“They were like this when I got here,” The woman said, with a shrug, “But if I did beat them with this bat, it was completely within my rights to do so.”  
“... Right,” Tim nodded, looking down at the men.

**I give you everything I am**  
**All my broken heart beats**

Tim glanced over at Chen as the two of them drove one of the men from the bar fight back to the station. The shop was silent, as he drove. Chen was, undoubtedly, trying to think up a way to convince Tim to agree to work with the Feds again.  
And he couldn’t help but think that she was right. Everything she said had made perfect sense to him. It was logical. But for once, he wasn’t thinking logically. He didn’t care if they saved the world, one undercover mission at a time. All he cared about was her. What would this do to her? If they spent the next month undercover, when would she study for her exams? What if something came up on the day of exams and she didn’t make it in time for the test? What happened if she got shot, or worse? He couldn’t let any of these things happen to her.  
But on the other hand… What if Angela and Nyla were right? There was no reason not to think that as soon as Chen passed her test, she would take the Feds up on their offer. And then she would be out there, in danger, every day, without him. He couldn’t protect her if she went out on her own. 

“... What are you thinking about?” Lucy asked, looking over at him.  
Tim replied, “How stupid I would have to be to let you go undercover again before you graduate.”  
“... How stupid are you?” Lucy asked, knowing she was pressing her luck.  
“... Just stupid enough,” He sighed, before quickly saying, “Don’t get excited! All I’m saying is that I am willing to hear the Fed out. If I don’t like what he has to say, we’re right back in this shop for the next month.”  
“Got it! Got it, got it, got it,” Lucy said, unable to hide her huge grin.  
“I said don’t get excited!”  
“I’m not excited!”  
“Tell that to your face,” Tim grumbled. 

**Until I know you’ll understand**  
**And I will make sure to keep my distance**

By the end of their shift, before they had even changed out of their uniforms, the two officers were standing, side by side, in their commanding officer’s office. Grey sat at his desk, with Agent Keane standing to his side.  
“Have you come to a decision?” Grey asked.  
Lucy nodded, “Yes, sir. We have decided to hear Agent Keane out and make our decision from there.”  
“Is that so?” Grey asked, glancing over at Tim.  
“Yes, sir,” Tim nodded in agreement with his rookie.  
“... Agent Keane?” Grey turned to face the Fed.

And the agent began to explain what the mission would entail, “For the past two years, We’ve had an agent undercover inside of the Armanian Mafia for the past two years. She had to be pulled, recently, due to an unforeseeable circumstance. However, she will be able to give the leaders some information on a potential new buyer--”  
“Buyer of what?” Lucy asked.  
“Guns, drugs, you name it,” Keane said, “She was a trusted member of the mafia. If she gives your name, the leader will trust you. It won’t be an immediate thing-- Not like Jacobs. This one will take time, and considerable planning, and you will have to be more careful than you have ever been. Because if you are caught, you both die, your families die, Rebecca dies, Rebecca’s family dies. “  
Tim finally spoke up again, “What would our covers be?”  
“Bradford, you would be the buyer. You would have to get close to the family-- earn their trust. Might have to do some things you don’t want to do. But you cannot, under any circumstance, blow your cover. You do what you have to do to remain a buyer and not a cop.”  
“... And Chen?”  
“That might be a little easier,” Keane said, “There’s a strip club that the mafia frequents. If Chen can get a job there, secure a room above the club--”  
“No way,” Bradford shook his head.  
“She will be in far less danger than you will,” Keane pressed on, before addressing Lucy, “Make friends with the other girls. Gain their trust, and the Armanians won’t give you a second glance.”  
“... So, we wouldn’t be going under as a couple?” Lucy asked, looking a little confused.  
“Not right away. But a lot of the men from the mafia are dating a lot of women from the club. Nobody will be suspicious if you two happen to fall into each other’s arms.”  
Lucy looked over at Tim, waiting for any kind of reaction out of him. 

**Say I love you when you’re not listening**  
**And how long can we keep this up, up, up?**

After their meeting with Grey and Keane, Lucy and Tim had temporarily split up to change out of their uniforms. And as soon as Lucy walked into the women’s changing room, she was ambushed by Nyla and Angela.  
“How’d it go?” Angela asked, immediately, as Chen walked in.  
“Uh… the meeting?” Lucy asked, a confused look taking over her face.  
Nyla nodded, “Yea, what’d he say?”  
“He said he wanted the night to think about it,” Lucy said.  
“That’s Tim for ‘so close, but I still need a push’,” Angela said, “Stay on him. Don’t let him ruin this for you.”  
“Let us live vicariously through you,” Nyla nodded, “I can’t go undercover anymore. So, you have to go undercover and tell us everything.”  
“What are you going under as?” Angela asked.  
“Uh… stripper,” Chen said, that confused look still in place.  
Harper groaned, like that was the best thing she had ever heard, “God, I love that for you, Lucy. You’d make a great stripper.”  
“Uh… thank you?”  
“You have to keep bugging Tim. Make him give you a ride home,” Lopez said, “Talk his ear off the whole way home. Keep pushing him.”  
“... Are you sure?” Lucy asked, as she pulled her hair down from the tight bun it was in, “You don’t think pushing him will make it a definite no?”  
Nyla scoffed, “Please. If that man was capable of saying no to you, he wouldn’t have spent the entire day actually debating this dumb ass decision.”  
Lucy couldn’t fight the little grin that tugged on the corners of her lips. Was that true? Did Tim have a hard time saying no to her?  
“Any TO with half a brain would say no and go back to work,” Lopez agreed, “But Tim has a soft spot for you. He trusts your instincts. And that’s why he’s going to say yes. He doesn’t see you as his rookie anymore. He sees you as a partner.”  
“... Really?” Chen asked.  
“Really,” Harper nodded, “Now, hurry up and get changed, before he leaves without you!”  
“... Okay,” Lucy said, still unable to fight the smile that had forced its way onto her lips. 

**And I keep waiting, for you to take me**  
**You keep waiting, to save what we have**

Lucy had rushed to finish getting out of her cop clothes and into her civilian clothes, before running out of the locker room. She practically ran into Tim on her way out, trying to catch him.  
“Woah, Boot!” His voice boomed as he reached out to steady her, after she almost knocked him over, “Why are you running in the precinct?”  
“Sorry,” She gave him an awkward little smile, “I drove here with Jackson. He has some paperwork to do, so I left my keys with him. … Was hoping for a ride?”  
Tim rolled his eyes. But he couldn’t just say no, could he?  
“Fine. Let’s go.”  
“Thank you,” She said, giving him a smile.  
She was quiet while they walked to his truck, and she was quiet for a long time while he drove. They were about half way to her and West’s apartment by time she finally spoke up, “So… which way are you leaning? In regards to the mafia?”  
“For obvious reasons, I’m leaning towards no,” He said, without as much as a glance in her direction, “There’s no way I’m letting you go under as a stripper, Boot.”  
Lucy raised an eyebrow, “Letting me? Little old fashioned, Officer.”  
“Okay, that’s-- you know that’s not what I meant.”  
“I am a beautiful, intelligent, strong woman,” She said, echoing what he had told her earlier that day, “I’m sexy as hell. I could be a stripper.”  
“I know you could,” He groaned, “But I would prefer not putting you in that position.”  
“You wouldn’t be putting me in that position, Bradford. I would be putting me in that position.”  
“It’s my job to protect you--”  
“No, it’s not. It’s my job to protect me. It’s your job to give me the tools I need to protect myself. And you have. You’ve taught me everything you know. I can do this, Tim. I can go undercover again. … Besides,” She said, “You heard Keane. You’ll be the one in danger, not me. I’ll just be an innocent stripper. What Armanian Mafia would hurt an innocent stripper?”  
“... Chen…”  
“Come on, Tim!” She punched his arm, repeatedly, excitedly, “We can do this! We’ll be apart for a couple of days while you go in with the Mafia, and I go in with the strippers. As soon as they trust you enough, they’ll bring you to the club. If you think about it, Tim, you’ll be the only thing keeping us apart. It’s great motivation, don’t you think? You can only get to me when you’ve earned their trust. It’ll make you earn their trust very fast--”  
“Do you ever stop talking?” Tim asked, pinching the bridge of his nose.  
“I’ll stop talking if you agree to go under with me!”  
“Damn it, Boot,” Bradford groaned, “Do you really want to do this?”  
“I really do,” She repeated, nodding furiously.  
“And what about your exams? You heard Keane. This isn’t going to take a week. It’s going to be long, and grueling.”  
“We’ll make it back in time for the test,” Lucy said, “You won’t let me miss it. I’ll make it back.”  
“And?”  
“And I’ll pass,” She insisted, “Because every second we aren’t working, we will be studying!”

Bradford sighed, one last time and he said, “...Alright, Boot. You’re on.”

**So, I’ll make sure to keep my distance**  
**Say I love you when you’re not listening**  
**And how long can we keep this up, up, up?**

As Tim drove himself home from Lucy’s apartment, he couldn’t help but think that he wouldn’t let any rookie talk him into an undercover mission. Either he was going soft… or he was going soft for her. Disgusting. No. Not that. She was his Boot. No. He was just going soft. 

**Make sure to keep my distance**  
**Say i love you when you’re not listening**  
**How long til we call this love, love, love?**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A special thank you to my best friend, Fari, for always reading my fanfiction, even though you're not in The Rookie fandom and have no idea what is happening, ever. I love you, slut. You're my favorite person. 
> 
> And a second special thanks to my Chenford group chat on Tumblr (I'm @glitteryssahotchner for those of you who don't know), who have been so patient with me while I continued to lie and say this chapter would be up soon, and then continuing to not finish it. Your guys rock.


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